Local 600 member Victor Lazaro, is a Steadicam and camera operator living near New York City. Two years ago, he started designing and 3D printing his own camera and Steadicam accessories, mostly because what he wanted simply didn’t exist on the market.
“Since the coronavirus outbreak reached New York, I’ve been out of work, quarantining myself with my wife and kid,” he says. “When I discovered that people were 3D printing medical equipment that nurses and doctors were needing, I wanted to join the effort.”
After many hours of research, Lazaro decided to focus on making 3D printed face shields.
“The first 3D printed equipment made for the COVID-19 was a ventilator valve, unfortunately this part required a specific kind of printer, different than mine,” he says.
Lazaro says he then turned towards face masks because 3D printers make rigid parts, and face masks need to contour the face to create a good seal. However, he says it was easier to make one by sewing them, which his mother-in-law has been doing.
The idea of a face shield then came.
The final shield Lazaro says he and others are currently printing have multiple advantages.
“It is easy to print on a 3D printer, no difficult shapes, it’s not tall and requires only a short amount of time to print, about 30 min per frame and it works with US standards materials,” he says.
Lazaro says he has been printing face shields as fast as he can and even reached out to Mt Sinai Hospital in NYC to arrange a shipment to their emergency service.
